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Tuesday, 20 October 2015

STORY: "When The Clocks Go Back"

When the Clocks Go BackBY Sean Kavanagh (c) 2015

I’d
always hated autumn.

The
not quite weather, the not quite dark.Then, the sudden creep of early evenings and foggy mornings.It was like a waiting room for winter,
without any charm of its own.And then
there was the rain (though to be fair it pretty much rained all year round in
Port Isaac).

I
was leaving for the early shift at the local café, shuffling along in the
morning gloom.A torch beam hit me in
the eyes.I reacted instinctively,
squinting trying to bat the photons away like an irritating wasp.It was the sort of futile, foolish thing I
did. The torch beam moved from my face.

“Sorry
Mol, “said a familiar voice. Constable Figis.

“It’s
fine. “ I said, annoyed, and not thinking it was fine at all.

“Early
start? “ It was chit chat, but even chit chat sounded like a mild form a
questioning from such an old policeman.I’ll never know why they went back to that silly old uniform either, a
bit of PR for the elderly voters I suppose.He even had one of those old black bikes of indeterminate make that
policeman used to have.

“Yer,
those bacon sandwiches won’t make themselves. “ I’d meant it as banter, but it
came out a little bit stroppy.It was
autumn and the morning, what did he expect?

Figis
smile.“I’ll leave you to it then. “ He
swung a leg awkwardly over his anonymous bicycle. “Keep one for me, I’ll be in
for early lunch around 11”

“Will
do. “

Then
he smile.Something had just occurred to
him.“Remember the clocks go back
tonight Mol. “

“Don’t
worry, it’s hard to forget.Not my
favourite day of the year. “

“See
you later. “He rode off, as slow as it
was possible to ride without gravity making a fool of you.

I
decided to walk into work.The village’s
“High Street” of eight shops was only a mile from my mum’s house (yes, I live
at home).As I ambled on, I began to
think about what Figis has said about the clocks going back.My granddad would always call my mum and tell
her when it was happening, part of their little routine as the year went
by.The first year after my granddad had
died, my mum decided to tell me the clocks were going back – a family tradition
passed down the line I suppose.She’d
done it ever since. I think it helped her cope.

I
arrived outside the café.The windows
steamed and damp already.God I hated
the place.But this was what passed for
a good job locally.

And
so the day went by, as days did.

The
evening was foggy, but at least it wasn’t raining.It wasn’t even that cold.I think the leaves fell from the trees more
out of boredom than any sense of the changing season. Mum had gone out to see a
friend, so I just curled up on the sofa and decided to read a book.It was something I’d enjoyed as a child, and
the comfort of it seemed appropriate.

It
must have been too comforting as I fell asleep.

Which made the firm banging on the door even
more startling.At first I thought mum
had forgotten her key, but then I remembered what was going on.I pulled my robe on and went to the door – it
was Constable Figis.

“Hello
Mol. “ Formal this time, not like the faux banter of the morning.I noticed his torch was gone and he was
holding some kind of oil lamp.He must
have got it from the museum at the local closed silver mine.“Remember the morning? Remember what we
discussed?”

I
nodded. “The clocks go back today. “ I stepped aside so he could see the
hallway behind me. All the clocks, watches and other gadgets with time-keeping
devices in were piled up neatly for collection.

“Good
girl Mol. “ Figis was patronising me now, probably for the benefit of the two
Ludds behind him.Local idiots in blue
sashes.Still, you get what you vote
for, and this is what the elderly of the county (and a lot of other counties)
had voted for.Though yearning the ‘good
old days’ and the ‘simple life’ had soon spiralled out of control. “Go on then
lads, “ said Figis to the Ludds.The
illusion of lawful control.You could
tell the goons in the blue sashes thought of Figis as an impediment – a joke -
not a part of the process.His turn
would come.The Ludds barrelled into the
house without wiping their feet and started collecting up all our clocks and
such.

“You
sure this is the lot? “ asked one of the Ludds.His breath certainly evoked another age – one before regular tooth
brushing.

“It
everything. “ My reply was slow and even.You never knew when these Ludds might turn nasty. He kept staring at me,
leering.

“She
said that was everything, “ repeated Constable Figis firmly.The Ludd threw him an odd smile and headed
off to the rag and bone cart parked in the street.It looked full, but it was hard to see since
they’d taken the street lights out.Figis pulled out his note book and started to write.Halfway through he looked up, seeing I was
becoming nervous.“Don’t worry Mol –
nothing more sinister than a receipt. For your own good. We’re all part of the
process now. “

And
then they were gone.

A
few days passed (you could count the days easily enough, but the hours were a
bit more tricky without a clock and only the gloomy autumn sun to guide you). No new notices went up on the village board
from the Ludd council.I looked like
they were going to leave us alone for the winter.My mum had carried a pained look on her face
since they’d come for the clocks and I could guess why: they’d taken her dad’s
old wristwatch.It didn’t even work, its
only value a memory of my granddad (and I suppose of a fast vanishing world of
machinery).I tried to be extra kind to
her to make up for the watch.

Then,
just after dark, about a week later they came.

BANG
BANG BANG…. I thought they were breaking the door down at first, but it was
just the loud arrogant knocking of the head Ludd (I could see his blue and gold
sash – ritzy).I opened the door,
confused, but not overly afraid.We’d
long ago given up the fantasy of fighting these people.

“Something
was overlooked. “ The head Ludd yelled it like a judgement.

“Sorry,
I….”

He
cut me off. “Something was overlooked! “ He was angry, and not really making it
clear to me why. I noticed Constable Figis was standing right back in the
street not making eye contact with me.The law totally impotent now.His
bike was gone too.

“We
gave you all our clocks, watches, egg timers.Come and look there’s nothing, is there mum? “ My mum had come
downstairs and was standing looking nervous.“Mum, DID you forget something? “

“Oh
yes, I’m afraid she did.“ A man stepped
out of the shadows.It was ‘doctor’
Carns.He’d replaced doctor Singh our
real GP months ago, and no one seemed to know if he was really a doctor.

“I’m
sorry Mol…” My mum was standing openly weeping.I had no idea what was going on.

“Mum?”

“Shall
we do it here? Or at my practice? “ Doctor Carns shook his leather bag.Metal things inside jingled.I didn’t like the sound of that.

“Can
I get my coat? “ mum asked meekly.

“We’ll
get it for you.“ The head Ludd sent one
of his men into the house.He came back
with my coat in error, but I didn’t argue.Mum put it on, seemingly unaware it wasn’t hers despite the difference
in size between us.

“Please,
someone, can you tell me what’s happening.“ I was close to tears as the Ludd and doctor Carns took my mum firmly
by the arms and led her away. “She didn’t do anything!” I yelled.Everyone stopped.My mum shook her head at me with gentle
resignation.

“As
I said, something was overlooked. “ The head Ludd was staring coldly at my mum.

“It’s
my pacemaker Mol. “ It was all my mum said before being led off.I stood there not knowing what to do, what to
say. Constable Figis had to put his lantern out to hide the look of shame on
his face.

“But
it was just the clocks that went back…” I slumped onto the doorstep.‘Doctor’ Carns came and stood over me.“It was just the clocks…..” I repeated.

“Pacemakers
are very good time keepers Mol.Very
good.And also, forbidden. “ He put his top
hat on and walked slowly away before stopping briefly. He turned.“I’ll make sure they send the coat back.” My
mum’s face had already disappeared from view. I would never see her again.

The clock had gone back.

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